The tibia force reduction wedge relates generally to reduction and prevention of injuries inflicted upon occupants in vehicles from improvised explosive device, or IED, and mine blast events, and more specifically to the reduction of tibia, fibula, foot, and ankle injuries. A person, civilian or military, can readily install the invention. A person with little or no comprehension of English can also install the invention.
From before the Revolutionary War, the military developed mines and used explosives. Mines began as containers of gunpowder concealed upon a battlefield and triggered by release of various mechanical actuators like trip wires. Military explosives started as full gunpowder containers triggered with fuses or rifle rounds. From those beginnings in this country mines and military explosives have evolved, proliferated, and developed in other countries. Present day mines serve two purposes: anti-tank and anti-personnel. Such mines have abbreviations as AT mines and AP mines. AP mines generally remain small in size, readily and quickly concealed, and designed to maim the limbs of a soldier. Such limbs include the leg with its femur bone in the upper leg and the fibula and tibia bones in the lower leg. AT mines generally have additional explosive compared to an AP mine and may include warheads so that the AT mine can disable a track of an armored vehicle or penetrate the hull of an armored vehicle.
In the last decade, military action in Iraq and Afghanistan has seen the rise of improvised explosive devices, or IED. These devices generally have a home made construction of explosives and placement in atypical locations such as in walls three feet above the ground, in peasant carts, on persons, and the like. IED have posed an asymmetric threat to US and allied force and civilians it the Iraqi and Afghani theatres of operations.
To mitigate the IED threat, military forces have increased their force protection efforts. These efforts have placed more soldiers in armored vehicles, even for routine tasks, such as mail delivery, than in prior military conflicts. However, the enemy has recognized this and adapted the IED to more potent models. The US has also responded with new vehicles such as a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle or MRAP, the Buffalo, and reinforcements to older vehicles such as an M1AI Abrams main battle tank, a M113 Armored Personnel Carrier or APC, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Fox chemical detection vehicle, and the like, upon the existing interior surface of the vehicle. Such vehicles withstand IED however, occupants of the vehicles still endure the effects of the blast.
Though this application mentions military and solider, the Applicant utilizes those terms in a broad sense to represent all military services and to include select heavy civilian applications such as mining and quarrying. Though this application mentions vehicle, the Applicant utilizes those terms in a broad sense to represent military and civilian vehicles, armored and unarmored vehicles, and wheeled vehicles and tracked vehicles, among other things.